There Is No Love Braids 2
by Invader Kari
Summary: Sequel to Braids. Teq, Zim, Gaz, Esther, and Dib have lived on Sidini for 12 1/2 years. Dib & Esther's 1st child begins to question what race they are and why they don't look like everyone else. Should Dib tell his daughter the truth? CHAP 4 UP FINALLY!!
1. January Questions

There Is No Love  
  
Chapter 1  
January Questions  
  
  
  
***  
  
Author's Note: This story takes place after my other story, "Braids". If you are too lazy to read "Braids" then lemme give you a summary:   
  
Dib is twenty years old, and meets a young lady named Esther. Because of the braids Esther always wore, Dib gave her the nick name Braids. Zim and Gaz return, after they had been missing for five years, and we find out that they have gotten married. Despite his hatred for Zim, Dib manages to work together with his enemy as they unravel the mystery of a crashed UFO. They meet a guy named Teq, who turns out to be an alien... half Razerken and half Crewkin. Soon they find out that Earth will soon be invaded by Razerkens. Before they flee Earth, Dib and Esther get married. During their journey to planet Sidini, they are captured by Razerkens and must live in a small dark room for a few days; they also find out that Esther is pregnant. Teq's dad surprisingly comes to the rescue, but dies in battle against the Razerkens. Teq, Zim, Gaz, Esther, and Dib continue their journey to Sidini, and finally get there... and that's where I will now continue in this story, "There Is No Love"  
  
***  
  
Update:  
  
In this story, Teq, Zim, Gaz, Esther, and Dib have been living on Sidini for twelve and a half years. They all have a paranormal investigation service. Esther and Dib's first child, January (twelve years old) does not like her life and dreads going to skool. Dib Junior, Dib and Esther's second child (ten years old), doesn't mind skool and can always be found in his room on his labtop. Zim and Gaz have their only child, Dex (eleven years old) who is a "take-charge" type of kid. Like his cousin January, he is very adventurous. Teq has finally found a girl of his own, Kila. They are married, with no kids. January and Dib Junior have been brought up believing they are Crewkins, and their parents have always lived on Sidini... they know nothing about Earth.  
  
***  
  
  
"Hello? Gaz?" Esther spoke into the phone, "Is January at your house? ... she isn't? Dex is missing too? ... well thanks anyway... bye." Esther slammed the phone on the table with frustration, "Where in the world is that girl!?" she walked to the staircase, "Junior!" she called.  
  
Soon Dib Junior came down the stairs. He looked almost just like his father did at his age, but no glasses, "Yeah Mom?"  
  
"Do you know where your sister is?"  
  
Junior shook his head, "No Mom."  
  
Esther sighed, and Junior ran back up the stair case and into his room, "You better be getting ready for bed in there!" Esther called after him.  
  
The front door opened and Dib walked in, January walking in behind him, then Dex. January wore her long black hair in two braids. And Dex looked much like Zim with his human disguise on, only the hair were real and the eyes were not lenses. "She was in the hills again," said Dib, "January? Don't you have something to say to your mom?"  
  
January hung her head in guilt, "Sorry Mom."  
  
Esther knelt down and gave January a hug, "I know how you like to go on your adventures, but you need to tell me where you're going, OK?" January nodded. Esther turned to Dex, "You better go home... your parents are very worried about you."  
  
"OK," he frowned, "Well, bye Jani."   
  
"I'll walk you home," said Dib, and the two of them walked out the door.  
  
"Bye Dex!" January waved after him. "Oh! Mom! Guess what!"  
  
"What?" Esther smiled.  
  
January reached into her pocket and pulled out a small red rock, "Look! I found it in the hills. Isn't it neat-o?"  
  
"Very neat-o."  
  
Dib walked through the door, he looked at his watch, "It's nine... January, you better be getting to bed. You've got skool in the morning."  
  
".... actually.... I've been meaning to talk to you guys about skool."  
  
"What?" asked Esther.  
  
"I'm quitting skool."  
  
"No you're not," Esther said taking January's hand and leading her up the stairs.  
  
"But Mom! Skool's no fun!"  
  
"Skool is for learning. Not fun," Dib said following them upstairs. "Besides, if you quit skool, wouldn't you miss your friends?"  
  
"Friends? Dad! I have none! I do not know of this friendship! I know nothing of this love! At skool I suffer! I have no friends! My classmates see me as a hideous creature!" she said running into her room. She stopped when she saw her reflection in the mirror, "... why are we different?" She turned to her parents, "We have peachy skin, four fingers, and no antennas... we're the weirdest Crewkins on Sidini. Are we even Crewkin?"  
  
Dib and Esther exchanged glances, Dib cleared his throat, "January, we'll talk about this tomorrow." 


	2. Love is Stupid

There Is No Love  
  
  
Chapter 2  
Love is Stupid  
  
  
  
The next day at skool, January sat with her cousin and brother during lunch. Dib Jr. typed furiously on his laptop listening to January and Dex's conversation. "I'm starting to suspect there is some story behind our family," said January, "I don't think we are Crewkin at all."  
  
"No offense January... but you're crazy," said Dex.  
  
"I agree... January's insane," Junior grinned, not taking his eyes off the laptop screen.  
  
"I'm not crazy! I really think we're not from this planet!"  
  
"You saying we're aliens?" said Dex raising an eyebrow.  
  
January rolled her eyes, "Listen... the other day, I heard my dad talking to uncle Zim... they got into another one of their arguments, and Dex, your dad called my dad a filthy human. Now I ask, what is a human?! Not anything from this planet!"  
  
"And..."  
  
"And I think that's what we are! We're human!"  
  
"Hmmm..." said Junior, studying the screen. He turned it so January and Dex could see, "According to universalspecies.com, humans are creatures that inhabited the planet Earth. Very little is known of these beings, because 98.6% were killed during the invasion of their planet. Humans are very rare."  
  
"If humans are rare, then there is only a small chance we are human," Dex pointed out, "Maybe no likes these humans, so he called your dad it... like calling him a rat or something."  
  
"Maybe.." began January, "But I don't think so... I really believe we're this human species. I mean look at us! No antennas! Peach skin... well except you Dex, you got that icky green like you're dad... Uh, ugly black hair! We're definitely not Crewkin."  
  
"Now that I think about it... I do remember my parents speaking with yours of some kind of truth..." Dex said, "I'm not sure what this truth is, but they came to the conclusion that we were too young to know."  
  
"Me and my dad are supposed to talk about it tonight..." said January, "I hope he tells me of this truth..." she paused, "I just have a huge feeling that our parents are keeping something from us."  
  
Seconds later, the bell rang telling everyone they must return to class. Dex and January stood and began to walk out of the cafeteria, but noticed Junior did not follow. They turned and saw thatJunoir no longer stared at the screen of his laptop, but stared across the lunch room at a girl. "D!" shouted January, "Hello?! Class!? Skool?! Stop staring at that girl again!"  
  
Junior blushed, embarrassed, and raced to where Dex and January stood. "Hey, I don't blame you D! Jina's hot!" said Dex.  
  
January rolled her eyes, "Ugh, boys! They're so naive!" she turned to her little brother, "Dib, how many times do I have to tell you? There is no love. No such thing!"  
  
"Nuh uh! What about mom and dad!?!" exclaimed Junior.  
  
"Psh, that's different! They have the same skin color!" said January.  
  
"Then how do you explain my parents?" Dex asked.  
  
"Well... they're almost the same..." said January, "Whatever, all I know is I don't believe in love. There's no way I'm living with the same person for years and years. Love is stupid." 


	3. Dragging Out The Truth

There Is No Love  
  
  
Chapter 4  
Dragging Out The Truth  
  
  
  
"So Dad," began January as she watched her father prepare dinner, "Can you tell me why our family looks different?"  
  
Dib almost dropped the hot pan full of sizzling food, "Uh... not now...."  
  
"Daaa-aaad!" whined January, "You said--"  
  
"Wait til your mother is here."  
  
January frowned, then a big smile crossed her face when she heard her mom walk through the kitchen door. "Mom!" January exclaimed. Esther smiled, her face was dirty from working on the garden. "OK Dad, now we can talk, right?"  
  
"Uh...." Dib looked to Esther, who nodded, signaling him to begin. Dib cleared his throat, "Well, January... we're uh... Well, what I'm about to tell you, you cannot tell your brother this..."  
  
"That's right," Esther said, "The only reason why we're telling you is because we think you are at the right age."  
  
"I won't tell him! I promise! Just tell me! I needa know!" January jumped up and down anxiously awaiting the news.  
  
"Well..." Dib knelt down and placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders, "January we're something called human."  
  
'I knew it!' thought January.  
  
"Back when me and your father were young, we lived on a planet called Earth," said Esther, "But we had to leave... to this planet..."  
  
"Why?" asked January.  
  
"Because we were forced to."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because Earth was in danger."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it was being invaded."  
  
"Oh...." January paused, "Uncle Zim and Aunt Gaz had to leave to, huh?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Uncle Zim isn't human, huh?"  
  
"No... no he isn't," said Dib.  
  
"What is he?"  
  
"Irken."  
  
"So how did he fall in love with Aunt Gaz? They're not the same..."  
  
"That doesn't matter," Esther said shaking her head, "You do not have to be the same species in order to fall in love."  
  
"How come?"  
  
Esther and Dib exchanged glances, "January... that's just not the way love works..." Esther said.  
  
"Oh..." she paused, "Are we ever gonna go back home?"  
  
"Home?" questioned Dib.  
  
"Home. Back to Earth."  
  
Esther and Dib frowned, "I don't think so, Honey."  
  
"How about other humans? Are we ever gonna see any other humans? Any others like us?"  
  
"I'm afraid not."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't think anyone else escaped... See, on Earth we did not have ships."  
  
"Well then how--"  
  
"January, that's enough questions for tonight," said Dib, "Go wash your hands, dinner's almost ready." Dib looked at Esther and smiled, "You better wash up too."  
  
Esther looked down at herself and noticed herself covered with dirt. She nodded and followed her daughter to the bathroom.  
  
  
  
"I knew we weren't Crewkin," January said to herself as she readied herself for bed, "So we're human... that's why we look different, and can only eat certain kinds of food, and can't go outside when it rains, and stuff. But what happened to Earth? Is it completely destroyed... or is it like reconstructed or something? There's no way I'll sleep tonight! I needa know more!" 


	4. Little Brothers, Big Pains

There Is No Love  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Little Brothers, Big Pains  
  
Esther crawled into bed with her husband, Dib, who stared up at the ceiling, "Penny for your thoughts?" Esther asked wrapping her arms around him.  
  
Dib sighed, "January's growing up. And she's growing up so fast.... she's so very smart.... and, unfortunately, so very curious," He looked to Esther, "Esther, she's gonna want to know more."  
  
"You don't think I know that?" she paused, "Dib, I love my daughter, and I don't want her to be overwhelmed with all this crazy information."  
  
"So what do we tell her, and what do we not?"  
  
"Well, I'm not sure.... Just.... If she starts to question again.... answer if you think it's important," she stopped, "OK, but don't answer ALL her questions.... um..."  
  
Dib nodded, "I get the idea." Dib returned his eyes to the ceiling, "Esther? Do you think January's OK?"  
  
"OK? What do you mean by "OK"?"  
  
"Well... she has no friends.... and that's the way I grew up, and it's terrible... It really is."  
  
Esther frowned, "Oh..." Esther couldn't think of any other way to respond.  
  
Dib continued, "She does have her cousin and her brother, but it's just not the same. January needs more, but the way she reacts with two different species bonding.... I just wonder if she'll ever find a friend."  
  
January sat up, wide awake in bed. She glanced around her room and stopped at her mirror. Her mirror was always there to remind her that she was different. She gazed at her reflection for some time, remembering all the information her parents gave her. Thinking of questions she wanted to ask them, and questions they probably wouldn't answer. She quickly looked away from the mirror, then slowly looked back. No matter how many times she looked at herself in the mirror, she would never look like the rest of the kids at her skool. January grew enraged that she could never fit in, and that she would never be like this if those stupid Razerkens didn't take over her home planet. She threw her alarm clock at the mirror, and it shaddered with a loud bang, glass flying everywhere. A few small pieces of glass came flying towards her and scratched the side of her right arm.  
  
"January!" Dib exclaimed rushing to her. He obviously heard the noise, and her daughter's small cry as she was cut. Esther also came running in, both of them hugging their daughter tightly, "January what happened?"  
  
"I-- I didn't mean too, I'm sorry." she said looking at the mess she caused.  
  
Esther looked over her small wounds. They were OK, and there was hardly any blood.  
  
Dib looked at the broken mirror and the alarm clock, and put the puzzle pieces together, "January, are you OK?"  
  
"I'm fine, I just need a little band-aid for this cut here," she said signaling to her small scratch.  
  
"No honey, I mean not physically.... January, I know how it is to not have any friends--"  
  
"Dad, please don't. I don't wanna get into this right now.... Can you just get me a band-aid so I can go to bed? I got skool in the morning."  
  
Dib frowned, "Fine."  
  
"Look here comes that peach-skinned girl," a girl harshly whispered in the halls.  
  
January heard this and she felt like banging the girl's head against a locker door. But she simply took a deep breath and kept walking. Who cares what they said? Who cared?   
  
She cared.  
  
"January! January! Wait up!" her little brother called after her.  
  
January stopped and allowed him to catch up with her, "Where were you this morning? Mom and Dad were worried."  
  
"I left to skool early."  
  
"That's what Dad thought, but they was still worried."  
  
"When are they not?"  
  
"January, can I ask you something?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"What do girls like?"  
  
January stopped, "What do you mean..."  
  
"I kinda want to get something... for this girl in my class..."  
  
"First of all, you're too young. Second, we're not of their kind."  
  
"But---"  
  
"Dib... forget her."  
  
"But--"  
  
"Forget the girl! Believe me, I'm older. I know things." 


End file.
